Excavating and grading machine



Feb. 24,

' o. E. MQATs EXQAVAL'IRG AND cmnmgmcnma' Filed Nov. 1920 2 sheets-sheet 1 MM L.

Feb. 24, 1925.

r o. E. MOATS EXGAVATING AKD GRADING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5 19520 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STAT ES.

PATENT OFFICE.

cirrus, n. nears, or onroaeo, rumors, ASSIGNOR- TO WESTERN wnnntnn scaarna ooMrA v or AURORA, ILLINOIS, A con-roaarron or ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATING AND GRADING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I ORTUS E. Moa'rs, a citizen of the United btates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavating and Grading Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to road making machinery and has for its object to provide an improved machine suitable for use in scrap: ing. and conveying earth in making and grading roads. The nature of my improvements will fully appear from the illlustrated embodiment thereof in connection with the detailed description of the illustrated construction. hat I regard as new is set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view ofimy improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the earth scraping and conveyingmember; and

Fig. 4-) is a detail, being a horizontal section on line 4: -4: of Fig.2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that my improved machine comprises a main frame 5 having front steering wheels 6 and rear wheels 7. The latter wheels are preferably mounted on extensible axle members 8, 9, the position. of which is controlled by hand wheels 10, 11 in the well-known way. At the rear of the frame is an operators platform 12, as usual. 13- indicates the drivers seat, and 14 indicates the tongue, which is provided with a rearward extension 15 as shown in Figs 1 and 2. 16 indicates the front axle which in the construction shown is pivoted to turn with the tongue in the usual way, but I wish it to be understood that so far as my invention is concerned the machine may be arranged to be steered in any of the well-known ways employed in the art.

Arranged beneath the frame 5 and be: tween the front and rear wheels is an earth grading and conveying member which comprises a scraper 17 from the upper marginal portion of which rises a back plate 18. The scraper 17' is disposed transversely with reference to the frame 5, and the back plate 18," thereof also extends transversely thereof.

Application filed November 5, 1920. Serial No. 121,828.

At the end portions of the back plate 18 are wings 19 which extend forward therefrom, the upper and lower margins of said wings being preferably level with the corresponding margins of said back plate. The

irons 2 as shown in Fig. 3. They are also connected by a cross-brace 25. At their forward ends the draft bars 22 converge and are curved to form a goo-seneck 26 which is connected with the rearward extension 15 of the tongue, as shown in F ig. 2. Thus the draft is transmitted directly to the back plate 18 and through it to the scraper 17.

The earth scraping and conveying memher is suspended from the frame 7 by rackbars 27, the lower end portions of which are pivotally connected with the draft bars 22 by means of pivots 28 which extend through the end portions of the brace 25, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The upper end p01 tions ofsaid rack-bars pass between pinions 29 and anti-friction rollers 30, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the rack portion of said bars being in mesh with said pinions so that when the pinions are rotated the. rack bars are moved vertically. The rollers 30 serve to hold the rack bars in mesh with said pinions without interfering with their endwise or lateral movement.

Preferably two of the anti-friction rollers are provided in connection with each rack bar, and they are mounted so as to be capable of swinging about the axes of the pinions 29, as shown and described in Patent No. 584,395 to Thomas R. McKnight, dated June 15, 1897, and as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The pinions 29 are mounted upon short shafts 31 journaled in brackets 32 which are carried by supporting blocks 33 mounted on standards 34 which rise from the side members of the frame 5. The blocks 33 are connected to. the standards 34 by bolts 35 which pass through said standards and through arcuate slots in the blocks 33 so that slight axial adjustment of said blocks is permitted. 36 indicates bolts which connect the brackets 32 with the blocks 33 so that said brackets are capable of swing ing about the bolts 36 as may be necessary in the operation of the machine.

The shafts 31 are provided with universal couplings 37 which connect them with horizontally-disposed operating rods 38 arranged to be actuated by hand wheels 39 through bevelled pinions 40, L1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, said universal couplings being provided to accommodate the rocking or swinging of the brackets 32 above referred to. The hand wheels 39 are mounted on transverse shafts 42 mounted in brackets 43 supported by standards 44 which rise from the frame 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. 4-5 indicates brake drums cooperating with strap brakes of the usual type for looking the rack bars in their different positions of adjustment. This mechanism for raising and lowering the rack bars 27 is substantially the same as that which has long been in use on road grading machines, and, so far as its specific construction is concerned, forms no part of my invention, as any suitable mechanism for the purpose may be employed for raising or lowering the earth scraping and conveying member.

In the use of my improved machine the scraper 17 loosens the earth and levels the inequalities of the roadway, the loosen-ed earth being piled up in advance of the back plate 18 and between the wings 19, so that as the machine advances the loosened earth is conveyed along the roadway and is either de posited in hollows where they occur, or may be conveyed to any place where it is desired to dump it. By means of the rack bars the scraper is held down to its work and may be adjusted vertically to vary the grade at which the scraper operates. As the draft is applied directly to the upper portion of the back plate 18 the earth scraping and conveying member is held from tipping backward and the load is moved to the best advantage. This construction also makes it practicable to make the back plate .18 and thewings 19 of comparatively light material so that the weight of this part of the machine is not objectionable. The construction of the earth scraping and grading member is also such that it is well adapted for attachment to carriages of various types, and also it may very readily be removed so that an ordinary scrap-ermay be substituted for it where the work to be performed makes such substitution desirable.

To steady and support the earth scraping and grading member without interfering with its vertical adjustment, a swinging brace 46 is provided which. as best shown What I claim as my invention and desire I to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an excavating andgrading machine, the combination with a frame having front and rear wheels and a draft device, of an earth scraping and conveying member comprising a. scraper disposed transversely beneath said frame between said front and rear wheels, a transverse back plate rising from said scraper, side wings extending forward from the end portions of said back plate, forwardly extending draft bars rigidly secured to the front face of said back plate and extending forward therefrom for connecting said member with the draft device. and means mounted on said frame and connected with said member for holding it down in operative position.

2. In an excavating and grading machine. the combination with a frame having front and rear wheels and a draft device, of an earth scraping and conveying member comprising a scraper disposed transversely beneath said frame between said front and rear wheels, a. transverse back plate rising from said scraper, side wings extending forward from the end portions of said transverse back plate, means connecting said member with the draft device, vertically and laterally movable bars mounted on said frame and connected with said member for holding it down in operative position, and a swinging brace connecting the upper portion of said transverse back plate with said frame.

3. In an excavating and grading machine, the combination with a frame having front and rear wheels and a draft device, of an earth scraping and conveying member comprising a scraper disposed transversely bcneath said frame between said front and rear wheels, a transverse back plate rising from said scraper, side wings extending forward from the end portions of said transverse back plate, means connecting said member with the draft device, vertically and laterally movable bars mounted on said frame and connected with said member in advance of said back plate for adjusting said member vertically, and a swinging brace connecting the upper portion of said trans verse back plate with said frame.

4. In an excavating and grading machine, the combination with a frame having front and rear Wheels and a draft device, of an Wail, means connecting said member with earth scraping and conveying member COUlthe draft device, means lTlOHIlt-Gd on said prising a scraper disposed transversely beframe and connected with said member for 10 neath said frame between said front and adjusting it vertically, and a swinging brace rear Wheels, a transverse Wall rising from connecting the upper portion of said transsaid scraper, side Wings extending forward verse wall with said frame; from the end portions of said transverse ORTUS E. MOATS. 

